In June 2021, the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside, Florida. Among those lost were Maria and Gonzalo "Pepe" Torre, the grandparents of Nicholas Fusco, the man who would go on to create El Mago Cigars.
The name El Mago "The Wizard" is built from the first two letters of their names. The Pepe line is Gonzalo's tribute specifically. He taught Nicholas everything he knows about cigars. This is how Nicholas said thank you.
That's the weight behind this smoke. Now here's the blend.
Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper over a U.S. Broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan filler. The San Andrés is one of the most respected Maduro leaves in the world — dark, oily, and naturally sweet from an extended fermentation that takes years to get right. The Broadleaf binder adds body and combustion. The Nicaraguan filler brings spice and earth to balance the sweetness.
Together: cocoa on the open, leather and complex spice through the mid, sweet earth on the close. Medium in body, medium-strong in presence.
The box press is deliberate. It concentrates the draw, tightens the burn, and gives you a more focused smoke column through a 6×52 format that runs long enough to develop fully.
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: U.S. Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Box-Pressed Toro (6×52)
Strength: Medium - Full
Packaging: Square tubes
UHC™ 100-Point Review System
San Andrés Maduro over Broadleaf, one of the most proven wrapper-binder combinations in premium cigars. The Pepe earns on construction, on flavor progression, and on the kind of intentionality that only comes from a blend built to honor someone specific. Cocoa, leather, spice. No filler moments.
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